There's been a lot of recent uptake on this forum {inc myself} which is a good thing. Albeit the threads have got somewhat tangled.

CH

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Thats my point. Trying to pick and chose the wheat from the chaf has become difficult. For instance, theres currently at least 3 threads whinging about the new regime at Blandford. Quite a few good points if you take the time to read them all, but most of it is a blatant whinge about peoples lot in life, which to be frank is mind numbing.

As to the chop stick, i've got some in the kitchen draw and they are disposable, dont want to mess up the good KFS.

Evening all, it's my first post so be gentle.....
Am presently at Blandford fm 264, and the "shape of berets" argument has continued to be an issue that draws fire from all kinds of places, including Lt Col rank.....

1. Some people simply don't like the shape [flat cap], find it irritating, un-uniformal, and unprofessional.
2. Some folks think that the airborne and SF blokes large it outrageously.

My responses to these (fairly reasonable thoughts) are as follows:

1. I don't like the dead budgie thing the Fusiliers wear, but realise that they (rightly) wear it as a unit badge of honour that distinguishes them from their infantry brethren, from whom they would otherwise be no different. All infantry units have their individual traditions, and their esprit-de-corps is all the better for it. My opinion on their headgear is irrelevant - I don't work there, nor do I command them. If the fusiliers is a better place for having a flock of dead budgies, then great. All power to them. Time spent contemplating the shape of the airborne beret might be better spent getting other signals personnel to the same standards as the 264/216 lads who are usually around the top at phys, trade, and military knowledge.

Because rest of the Corps simply doesn't have the calibre of men to pass the two courses in anything like sufficient numbers, both units have a large percentage of similarly dressed signallers who are not qualified to be there. Thus the (maybe un-liked) beret shape is the only way to tell a 264 Special Forces Communicator from some bloke who's just been posted in to answer the phone at Hereford. No one's knocking the posted lads - I'm glad they're there, it means we can get on with our primary task. But I trained for a year and a bit, followed by a 6 month course and a 6 month probationary period, to work with a sabre sqd. Therefore I wear the relevant beret shape. Even if it looks daft. I've earned the right to.

2. We are fairly guilty of the larging it to a point. Some senior Corps individuals have probably identified that wearing the alley beret and smocks / Lowa boots acts as a kind of mobile middle-finger-up at the rest of the corps. There is without a doubt an element of truth about this. It should be remembered that this serves two vital purposes :
It UNDOUBTABLY aids 264 and 216 recruitment. Not everyone wants to parachute or tab, but EVERYBODY who serves in the army has at some point or other thought "I fu@::{g hate this place. I'd love to go someplace I can do something else where the place/people I work for/with don't get me down...." At which point a group of airborne lads, smiling and not letting life get to them, go past. The poor sod from 3 Div thinks, "Right, screw this, I'm gonna do that."

Everyone can relate to giving the middle finger to the corps, because we've all wanted to do it at some point really, really badly. I'm aware this isn't a popular fact, understandably, but as an aid to getting people motivated to prepare hard enough to pass the courses it serves a purpose, and as long as the guys don't over-do the larging it this should probably be left alone.

3. It aids 216 and 264 esprit-de-corps. Having worked hard to get people there, we also want to keep people there. Part of being a team involves (unfortunately) having people outside the group as well as inside. That's part of the definition of a team - there are people who don't get to join in because they aren't good enough. Sad, elitist maybe, but necessary to form strong bonds. Who's going to work hard to join a team any fool can get into ? The only sign of being on the team at those units is the alley beret. It is a visible "badge" of being part of a group that others can aspire to. I have yet to met anyone who said "I really want to wear a small plane on my arm/ charging rhino/number one". Certainly never met anyone who was so proud to be there that they tatooed the damn thing on their body! Wings, on the other hand....
Daft maybe. But it works.

Thus in conclusion I would say this. If the Corps Command element, clearly based at Blandford, left the Beret shape alone, it would quickly find the lads from Hereford towing the line on other issues such as sideburns and boots. If it allowed 264 / 216 blokes posted to Blandford as instructors to retain their beret's (as is done at all other trg establishments) they would find a higher quality of instructor applying to work there, which would have positive knock-on effects at Blandford.

Whilst Blandford continues to give the beret (which whilst as daft as a dead budgie clearly has a decent reason behind it) a hard time whilst simultaneously having fat unprofessional instructors and RP staff who clearly don't want to work there, then the fit, motivated, and knowledgeable lads from 216 and Hereford will continue to think the place hypocritical - and act accordingly. Which is a shame, since Blandford could actually be a great place to work.

Sorry it was long, as the bishop said to the actress. Thanks for reading.